Next Turn on the Right
by Shirahoshi
Summary: Loki fell, indeed; but to Thanos' pech and to his luck(?), with some help from Fate, he switched a mad Titan for two thugs.
1. Chapter 1

He didn't know when had he closed his eyes.

Or if they were closed at all.

The Void played such tricks with you once you entered it.

First, you started questioning whether anything could exist outside of here.

Then you start questiong your own existence. But you know that you must _be_, for the cold is never ending, and if you are _not_, then you could not feel it.

Something slimy and ancient reached out for him from between the branches of Yggdrasil, but he slipped past the tendrils of its power, to his relief. The sensation made him feel like he himself was _unclean_.

Great Norns, will this fall never end?

It did.

In a hard, shocking crash agains something not entirely solid but not soft either, which shook him to the very soul, and almost broke his spine.

He welcomed it wholeheartedly. It meant that he still did possess a body.

"You think he survived that?" said a voice from far afar.

"I'm Groot," came a deeper voice. That's what it sounded like. But that's not what was _said_.

"I agree. Hey! If you'rte still kicking, give some sign of that! He isn't moving, he's a goner for sure."

"I am _Groot_."

"All right, all right you big softie!" the first voice grumbled.

He wanted to scream, to fight as his eyelid was pried open and the light assaulted the iris which was used to the endless night by now. But the most he could produce was a weak groan.

The animal flashed his teeth in a grin.

"Groot! You were right!"


	2. Chapter 2

"So, you got a name? Someone in that fancy clothing must have a name. And as Groot saved you from leaving this Hell as a smudge in the dirt, you owe us that much."

Loki blinked at the animal. He - it was definitely a he - reminded the Jötunn of an animal he had seen a long time ago somewhere.

A raccoon of Midgard. Except, this one was quite talkative, while those definitively did not possess the ability of speech.

A paw-hand was waved in front of his face.

"Somebody in there? Hey, man, don't you die on us now. You owe us big..."

His mind cascaded into a blank darkness.

But this time there was no pain.

* * *

When he woke again, it was to warmth. A welcome change, and true enough, when he opened his eyes there was a purple fire jumping happily on the periphery of his vision.

"I'm Groot."

If he could've jumped out of his skin, he would've. But giving out a surprised yelp was all he managed to do.

A face he saw before bent above him; and the soft thing underneath him moved as well.

They were leaves, he realised.

Which meant, that this was a floral colossus. But they were supposed to be extinct...

"He's asking if you're all right," the rodent said, hugging a huge blaster to himself. He cracked an eyelid open, just barely,"You should thank him."

Loki turned, as slowly as possible to minimise the pain.

"He's the only reason we dragged you along, you know. Otherwise he'd be whining for three months straight."

"Is that so," he whispered. His mouth had apparently forgotten how to form the words. "Thank you."

Something like happiness lit up the tree-creature's face.

"Where are we?"

"Few planets away from Xandar."

Xandar? That's a long way from Asgard, even further than Midgard. Just how long had he been in the Void?

"Where'd you fall from?"

"None of your concern. Far away."

The raccoon squinted his eyes and sniffed into the air.

"You're a Jötunn, aren't you? One of the few capable of surviving such things as having a trip in the space without protection."

Loki craned his neck.

"How did you..."

"You might appear human, but you can't fool my nose. A tiny giant," he gave a laugh. Loki scowled.

"Thanks for noticing," he rasped out, forgotten anger bubbling up in his chest like lava.

"I am Groot."

"I most certainly don't want to make you ice cubes."

"You understand what he says?" The godling glanced up at the surprised face of the animal, who had by now put the blaster aside. He nodded, then regretted the movement as sharp pain bit into him like lightning.

"Mostly, yes."

"No way. The All-tongue?" the raccoon flashed all his teeth, grinning, "A Jötunn, in disguise, raised on the golden realm of Asgard. Never thought something like this is possible. What's your name?"

"Loptr," he said without thinking.

"Rocket. Big fella behind you is..."

"I am Groot."

"I know," he forced himself into sitting position. They sat like that for a few minutes, in silence, before the raccoon spoke.

"Usually I don't consider teaming up with strangers capable of surviving a fall like that, even if it was with our help," He looked at him, "But if you want to come, do so. We'd have use for someone like you, in our sort of profession. Near-indestructible is always good."

"Do you, now?" he said, rubbing at his eyes which hurt more and more as the suns rose higher on the horizon slowly.

"As you've seen, Groot is not exactly a plant of words, and for some strange reason, people usually are rather suspicious of me. Or they want to take me for a fool, and I can't stand that. So what do you say?"

He looked at the two of them, one expectant, the other hopeful.

Then he thought about home. About Asgard, where they'd have held the fitting ceremonies by now, the room where Mother would be working on a tapestry with his favourite colours as was a tradition in her family after one's passing. About the All-father, tending to everyday business, making peace between two farmers, or two warring realms.

About the people, to whom it made no difference whether the second people lived or not, unlike their beloved Thunderer, who'd be off with his friends, adventuring across the stars.

What the Hel.

He could as well make the most of his situation.

"All right. So what's your profession?"

Rocket smiled a smile he knew all too well. It was one that promised trouble.

"Oh, nothing extraordinary. Just meddling in a bit of this, a bit of that... On a more serious matter. What's Asgard like? Never been there..."

* * *

**_Still trying to get a grip on Rocket's personality._**


	3. Chapter 3

Manhunt was nothing he had never done before. Occasionally, as one of the best trackers of Asgard, he even led then.

Never in such a fashion, though"Get out of my way!" The A'askvarii shrieked, lifting a lightsaber high, leaving his stomach defenseless.

Loki took his chance and drove the dagger through the soft skin, then jerked it upwards.

The creature exploded, leaving him cowered in entrails and slimy green blood.

"Nice job, Loptr!" Rocket laughed, shooting off the head of the last bounty hunter from the other group.

The raccoon was rather against him using knives, thinking them too tiring, ineffective and problematic. However he was convinced after the first hunt together, that Loki wasn't bluffing when he said that's all he needs.

There was a grunting sound as Groot exited the building, with a bag on his back, from which something was desperately trying to get out.

"Are you sure you got the right one?" A nod. "Good. Let's get the money then let's get outta here."

* * *

"To Loptr, without whom we would have sold him for only forty thousand units," Rocket said, lifting his glass high, full of suspiciously glowing blue liquid, "And to me, who had the fine idea of allowing him to stay with us."

"I'm Groot."

"I said "allowing". I never said that it was my idea."

Loki grinned into his own drink, meadow-green with a touch of mint.

"Hey, hey! What're you laughing at?!"

"How dare you to accuse me of such evil?" he asked, mock-innocently, putting a hand over his heart, "I'd never ever think of doing such a thing! Laughin? Wickedest thing of all!"

"I am Groot," the floral colossus said, chuckling. Rocket's head whipped towards the behemoth.

"Oh, you take his side again, yeah? I'll be happy to leave you two alone! There are plenty who'd gladly work with me!"

"Yes?" Loki asked, feigning seriousness. He motioned towards the door. "Please, do so. Just be sure you leave our share here."

"Nah. You wouldn't survive a day. Especially not him," the raccoon said with a sigh, as Groot wandered over to a small pond full of fish, and watched them jump out of the water then fall back with a loud splash.

"Hey, do you ever miss it?"

Loki glanced up. The raccoon's eyes were slighty misty, and apparently he downed his drink in one big gulp.

"Miss what?"

"Home."

"Rocket, if you're going to get sentimental, I'm taking that drink from you."

"No, man, I'm dead serious. I mean... It has been so long since I've been home. And sometimes I'd just feel this pang, and then there is this sort of feeling... Uhh..."

"Homesickness," Loki offered helpfully, emptying the remains of the liquid in his glass. Rocket clapped.

"Yes! That. And I don't like it. Do you ever have it?"

"Homesickness? Not really, no." This was not exactly a lie. He did not miss Asgard, the golden halls, endless protocolls and the eyes burning with distaste every time somebody talked to him, but he did miss Frigga.

"Well, I do, and it sucks, I'm telling you. 'sides, I've got this mate, soul-mate Lylla. She's beautiful," he said in a dreamy voice.

The jötunn started to suspect that the drink wasn't entirely what they were supposed to give.

"Haven't seen her in a while. Hey, do you have a soul-mate?"

"I had, once. She died."

"Oh. Sorry." Loki shrugged.

"It was a long time ago. And when I say long time ago, I mean it." Rocket snorted, his whiskers moving up and down.

"Rub it once more under my nose, will ya? Anyway, I want... To..." Rocket's head hit the table with a quiet thud, and the rodent started snoring.

Loki pried the glass carefully from his hand, then sniffed at it. It was indeed ambrosia, but with something added which shouldn't have been. At least in a raccoon's case.

A roar erupted from the throat of a thing Loki had never seen before. Something silvery flashed and where his hand rested a moment ago, now a knife stood out from the table.

"Stupid wench!"

"I'm sorry!" shrieked a female voice. Groot grunted as he stood up from the pond. Loki cast a look at the knife, then followed his example.

A woman, a serving maid, was lying on the ground in fetal position, her hands clutching the back of her neck in a protective manner. Her blonde hair was stained by blood, pouring out of her.

A wave of familiarity hit him like the wind. He elected to not pay attention to it.

Men of all species and colours were standing around her, and women too, both the worst kind, shouting at the man pounding on her encouragingly.

Then, abruptly, he stopped as tendrils wrapped themselves around his body and lifted him off the ground. He made a futile effort to get free; but Groot simply tightened his clutch around him.

The woman whimpered in pain.

"Is there a problem here?" Loki asked lightly, with a smile. One male specimen - most probably the one in the colossus' loving embrace - spat.

"Non' o' yer concer'."

"Oh, but it is," he answered, holding up the knife, "It belongs to one of you, I presume; now if you'd kindly tell me why was my hand almost impaled to the table."

"Bugger o'."

A crunching sound could be heard, then the scream of the bloody-handed man. The mob took a few steps back.

"Do I have to repeat myself?"

"Bitch poured th' drinks o' us," the second man replied. Loki lifted an eyebrow in vague distaste.

"And for that, you decided to beat her to death. So... Civilised."

"Why th' hell do you car' about it? Your bitch, o' what?"

The dagger flew across the empty space, embedding itself in the grey-skinned creature's hand.

"She's not my _bitch_," he said, ignoring the wail of the Tasker; for he must have been one. Barely higher in the hierarchy than an errand boy. "She, however is a living and sentient being, capable of being tired. Which she must be, after serving the likes of you with a smile on her face," he motioned Groot to release the other Tasker. The floral colossus did so, albeit reluctantly, before he turned back to the crowd. "Now, leave."

"You a'r' gonna regret this."

"Actually, no, I won't."

It looked as if he still wanted to say something; but as Groot pulled himself to his full height, he decided against it. The crowd slowly dissipated as well. Loki knelt down next do the woman, putting a hand onto her shoulders, then scanned her vital signs with magic, ignoring the familiar feeling once more.

They were, thankfully, strong enough. Mild shock and a shallow injury on the side of her neck, mostly.

"It's all right now. You're safe. Everything is..."

The breath caught in his chest as the woman slowly turned.

Then, he breathed out.

"Sigyn."

* * *

**_Tasker is an errand boy who has to deliver packages/messages between two warring planets. So they are valued a tiny bit more than simple errand boys._**


	4. Chapter 4

It was impossible.

She was dead. She was supposed to be dead.

He saw the corpse, damn the Norns!

And yet, here she was, living and breathing, even if in a state of fright. Her eyelids fluttered in confusion.

"You're alive," he said, bewildered, the words leaving his mout however impossible they sounded, "You're alive."

She blinked, her sentence came like a bucket of ice poured over his head.

"Do we know each other?"

"You don't... Know me?" Her mouth pulled into an uncertain embarrassed smile, her cheeks slowly turning a reddish colour.

He remembered this expression all too well. It was the same one when she met with Thor, or when she had accidentally knocked over one of his book-piles...

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he said, helping her up, his mind working frantically on a list of people who'd be capable of changing memories.

Because that was what it had to be. There was no way that Sigyn - _his_ Sigyn - could forget about the one who made her feel miserable so many times, when he arrived home full of scars, then tended to him, scolding him as she healed the injuries...

In the end, it was a very short list. Especially when he took into consideration, after a quick check, that it the spell was woven to be in-depth, not something that covered only the surface of her mind.

"Come with me. We should treat that wound."

"Ah, this?" she asked, lightly touching the injury, "No need, really. It'll heal soon."

"I _insist_."

"But I..." She left off abruptly, her pupils dilating, then, with a surprised little moan, she fell into Loki's arms.

His hand came away white from her neck. So the man was of a species with claws that contained a sort of venom. Effective enough to knock out Asgardians, and Sigyn was only half blood.

The sign however, that she was still alive, was a good one. Perhaps it was one of a tranquiliser sort, to numb the enemy.

"Groot," he said, waiting until the colossus finally paid attention to him, "I'm going back to the ship. Take care of Rocket, he knocked himself out good."

"I am Groot."

"Thanks, but no need."

He lifted Sigyn into a more comfortable position, then set off to find their transportation.

And hidden in some drawer behind the panels of it, his remaining Norn stones.

* * *

They were just where he had left them.

Mentally, he gave Groot and Rocket two extra points versus Thor, who had been left behind in the mental race by the two with three sad ticks.

The duo actually knew the meaning of personal space. Not like he wasn't asked whether something could be turned into a bomb, but the raccoon knew that _no_ was not a substitute word for _yes_.

He laid the unconscious woman down, after brushing away the litter of the past few days. It gathered up like dust, when there were no servants to clean up after him.

Excluding his vain need to make an impression, he had to earn the title God of Chaos somehow. And it didn't start by throwing the world into disorder.

Babysteps, as people on Midgard would say.

Luckily the stone did what it was supposed to do, unconcerned by the state of his room. Loki watched the torn skin knit together as the magic of the stone continued to work underneath, eliminating the venom. She breathed in deeply, the lines on her face ceasing.

The ship's door opened then forcibly shut from the sound of it.

"Get to the panel! Put on the..."

A slight tremor shook the spacecraft, then the AI announced that the shield were at ninety-five percent capacity.

"Just what the hell are they shooting at us with?!"

"I am Groot!"

"I know, I know!"

"Rocket!" Loki yelled as he stumbled from wall to wall while the ship ascended into the air.

"What?" the raccoon hissed as he turned a leveller then pushed a small green button. Something howled like a pained animal in the belly of the ship, then it jerked forwards.

"I am Groot!"

"You did what?!" the godling said in shock then almost fell as another beam hit the ship.

"_Shields at eighty-percent capacity_."

"I overreacted something a bit, okay? Groot, get to the guns, and you do something aboöut keeping the defenses up!"

The - apparently - offended party gave a hard chase, not entirely concerned about the safety of the civilians. Once or twice, they barely missed crashing into something massive; the chasers were not so lucky.

Then, half an hour, couple hundred curses and three exploded ships later they were out in open space, where the last remaining ship gave up the pursue.

Loki fell back into his seat, his magic completely drained.

The pursuers didn't exactly spare them the beams, and their shields wasn't exactly strong to begin with. Once or twice, it came dangerously close to fail; and Rocket turned out to be right. They did use some über-special beam, mixed with magic.

"Tell me... What the Hel was that about?"

"They called me an animal," Rocket sniffed. The Trickster lifted an eyebrow.

"Technically..."

"A filthy, stupid animal who parades around as if he'd be intelligent." The pieces fell into their place.

"Oh. I assume there was one left without a face and that's what they got so worked up over?"

"More or less, yes."

A high-pitched female scream cut into the low humming noise of the engines.


	5. Chapter 5

It took the better part of an hour calming Sigyn down and the rest with doing the same to Rocket.

"Oohh, so I can't defend myself, but then you just go and bring a woman here?"

"She was poisoned." The raccoon growled, his whiskers bristling.

"So what?"

"So I thought that if I have the means anyway, perhaps I could save her."

"Why? What is she to you?" Loki stood for a moment in silence, before speaking again.

"She's my wife."

"Your wife?" the animal asked, lifting an eyebrow in disbelief, "But you said she's dead."

"I thought her to be," the prince said as he ran a hand through his hair.

It desperately needed a good wash, he noted to himself wryly. "Somebody put great care into making it appear so. He even copied her signature resonance."

"Heh? So you know who did it?"

"My father." Groot grunted symphatetically. His partner simply frowned.

"Well... That's a bummer. But why would he do that?"

"It's complicated."

"Then uncomplicate it," Rocket said, expanding his hands in annoyance, "We have all the time in the universe. Well. You and Groot do." Loki chewed the inside of his mouth.

Should he or should he not?

"There is something I haven't told you. I'm not entirely sure how to..."

"And I didn't tell you that I hate the colour pink. Out with it." There were so many lies he could have spun in that moment.

He went with the truth.

"I am a prince of Asgard."

Of all the reactions; shock, anger, betrayal even; he didn't expect _laughter_.

Yet, Rocket did just that, slamming his paw-hands into his knees as he rocked back and forth, his voice filling the cabin. Groot looked at him disapprovingly, but he didn't appear to notice that.

"That's the joke of a century! You, prince of Asgard!" he chuckled, between two coughs of laughter, "His highness, the bounty hunter Lo... Lo..." his eyes went wide with realization, "Damn, you aren't joking, are you?"

"Curios. People believe my falsities, and they accuse me of lying when I say nothing but the truth."

"All right, boo-hoo, go on."

Loki started pacing back and forth in the small area, recalling the things long past. It was easier than he imagined; there were truly no need for lies with them.

Then why did he do it?

Ah, of course; somebody who nearly decimated an entire civilisation could expect to be wanted all around the universe.

"I was on a hunting trip with my brother. We were stupid. We got injured. Sigyn saved us."

"You fell in for her, married her and your old man didn't exactly give his blessings," Rocket finished with a nod.

"Understatement of the millenia. We were almost exiled. He calmed down somewhat after Mother had talked to him, still, he refused to acknowledge her. Not like it mattered with what being second son."

"That's rough. But what should we do with her? She doesn't know you, so..." Yes, that was indeed troubling. Then, an idea flickered in his mind.

"Say, how much fuel is left?"

"Enough for ten or eleven planets?"

"Good. Then we go to Earth." The rodent's ears perked up.

"Why?"

"Because I'd like to have a little chat with the All-father."

* * *

The flame danced in front of him, just out of his hand's reach, turning from ruby red to golden then orange in a matter of seconds.

It was one of the most basic spells, but still managed to successfully draw his attention away from the harshness of reality. Much like it used to do in his childhood; at least some things did not change.

For a moment he wondered how his mother was doing, but the thought was discarded almost immediately as the flame wavered, tiny sparks escaping it.

He let a long breath out and willed it to grow bigger. It responded to his thoughts immediately, doubling in size.

Then, a small cry sounded behind his back, followed by a hard _thud, _as one of his large and heavy books, possibly one of the rare copies as well, landed on the floor.

Loki sighed as he scampered into a standing position, stretching his stiff limbs, unbothered by Sigyn still in the position one assumes when trying to catch something.

And yes, as a matter of fact, it was a codex from which only three copies existed in the whole galaxy, and two in the neighbouring one.

Sigyn's lips pulled into a timid smile.

"Hi?"

"Hi."

"Sorry about the book."

"Master Avengelist knew something like this could happen," Loki said, picking up the leather-bound volume, "I'm quite certain they have taken more beating than the fall from a waist-high shelf."

"Oh," she looked lost, "Sooo. Were you doing magic?"

"I wad, indeed."

"Cool."

"Quite the contrary," he said, shaking his head, "Flames tend to be rather hot."

The woman huffed in slight annoyance, like she always did when he made some foolish word-joke. With her, he rarely could do better. Which didn't mean he didn't _try_; and he would have sworn by the three Norns that she had actually _liked_ them.

"Could you do it again?"

"I'm sorry?" Sigyn blushed slightly.

"What you were doing. With the flame."

"You... Can't do magic?"

"No. Is that so strange?"

Yes. Yes it was, because Sigyn had learnt the craft from Frigga herself, and have previously meddled in it as well.

Had the All-Father taken that from her, too? He felt the anger swell in his chest once again.

Was there _anything_ he left her from her life?

"All right. Come here," he said with a sigh, to calm himself down, bringing a ball of warm light into existence with a flick of his wrist. Sigyn regarded him with a suspicious glance.

"What are you doing?"

"You wish to learn. You can't do that by solely _watching_. Hold your hand out," Sigyn did so, curiosity beating back any misgivings she might have had. "Just so. Now concentrate on the ball. Try to gasp the size and shape in your mind, and will it to stay that way by feeding it your energy."

"_My_ energy?" Loki let out a soft laugh, earning a scowl from the slightly distressed woman.

"It'd recuperate in time," he explained, "But if you're scared, you can use the surrounding magic."

Sigyn looked baffled.

"The what?"

"You know about the three types of sorcerers, yes?"

"No," she shook her head, "My parents never let me do magic, let alone read a book about it so I might learn how to handle mine. After a while, I just pretended it didn't exist."

"Oh, dear," he passed the ball from one hand to the other, as Sigyn drew her palm back, "Then, a quick overview of it. As I said, there are three types - the ones who have much of it from birth, those who have some. Others are in-between, and they are the largest in numbers, and the most lucky, some find. Those who generally don't possess much of it usually do as you did, or become assistants to healers. Those with much are mostly warriors. Think about the Crown Prince of Asgard, or the Queen of Vanaheim. They have a good deal more than the in-betweeners, but they have much less control of it. Can you follow it so far?"

"Of course," she said, sounding highly offended, "That's because a larger quantity is harder to control already, I presume. Like when the army is too large and it takes half an hour for the command to get to every soldier."

"Precisely," he nodded, "Hence most never even try to learn to control their abilities, or use different artifacts to do so. Then, there are those in the middle. Curiously enough, most great sorcerers come from this group. See, they might not have that much magic like the first one, but this is just enough to have the surrounding magic respond to their will and channel that energy. This way "some" becomes "much", with a nearly endless supply. Those who are truly gifted can win a fight against those born with plenty of inner magic. If they have the wits not to stand in the way of an enraged buffoon whose greatest talent is bending the storms to his will," he said with some nostalgia. Sigyn smiled.

"That sounds dangerous."

"It is. And the aftermath is usually rather messy. What I'm trying to say is," he said, holding out his hand with the ball of light with it, "That using the magic in the room, you can keep this here alive."

"How are you so sure?" she asked sceptically. Loki smiled.

"Let's call it a gut feeling."

* * *

Midgard has changed a lot in his absence.

Last he visited, the humans still used horse-drawn carriages; now they were all sitting in metal boxes with rubber wheels which ran around like ants. The small wooden houses were gone, replaced by buildings reaching almost as high as a medium-sized tower of Asgard's Royal Palace, although a good deal uglier.

"Are you sure you'll be fine?" he asked Sigyn. She now sported clothes which would allow her to merge in with the crowds; blue trousers humans called "jeans", a grey long-sleeved shirt with a green coat. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she was holding a small bag he with the things he gathered over three days for her in it.

"Yes. The lady seemed rather kind; I believe we'll understand each other well. By the way, I'm sorry I didn't recognise you at first. My prince," she added quickly, "It's just that I've not been to Asgard for six centuries now, and I didn't think I'd bump into one on that particular moon..."

"Think nothing of it," he said, trying to sound as nonchalant as he could manage.

"I'm Groot," the floral colossus called out. She smiled at him.

"Thank you."

"And we mean it," Loki said, "If anything is wrong, don't be afraid to call."

"I won't be," she nodded, "Well, then... Thanks for everything. And for the lessons, as well. It was a pleasure."

The sorcerer didn't say anything, a feeling he had long ago forgotten present in his throat as he watched her descend from the hill, towards a dark-brown skinned woman, then turned and waved once more.

"It'll be better this way," Rocket said in a strange tone, "For the both of you."

"Yeah, I know."

"Come on then. You wanted to ask something from Old One-Eye, didn't you?"

"That I did," he agreed, tearing his eye away from the vehicle Midgardians called "car".


	6. Chapter 6

The azure water stretched out underneath them like some vast blue blanket. As the sunlight danced on the ripples, one would have thought that falling into it would be like falling into a pile of feathers.

In truth though, from the altitude they were flying at, it would've meant certain death to most creatures of the universe.

If not because of the impact, then because saline water, or simply water was poisonous to the particular kind.

"Stop brooding," Rocket snapped suddenly from the seat of the second pilot. Loki jumped slightly in his own.

"I'm not brooding."

"Of course you do. You didn't do anything but glaring into the nothing for the past two days. You know that this was for the better."

Loki scowled at the raccoon, cursing him slightly for how surprisingly perceptive he could be under all that fur and pretended roughness. However, before he could answer, the animal already turned back towards the main panel.

"So, we're nearing the place you've told us. What're we looking for?"  
"An anomaly," the god responded, leaning down to see what the screen said. "A rift in space. You shouldn't be able to miss it, though I admit, I only used this one passageway twice in my whole life. It could've changed since then."

He sensed as the floral colossus went rigid on his left.

"I'm Groot." Loki's mouth ran dry.

"Is... Is there a chance that that'd be that?" Rocket asked, his voice wavering a bit. Only a tiny bit.

The vortex yawned at them, purple and white matter swirling around, down into the nothing. Occasionally lightning shot out of the opening - missing the ship by only a few meters sometimes.

"I.. Think so?"

"_Think_ so?"

"I don't remember it being _that_ big. Though it had been five centuries since I've last used this path and as I said it only happened twice..."

"Path? !" Rocket all, but yelled, "It looks like a sure ticket to death! Sorry if I'm being overdramatic, but I like to keep myself in one piece!"

"Let's turn back. I know of another passage..." Rocket grit his teeth and shook his head stubbornly, like he always did when something absolutely stupid but necessary was needed to be done.

"Not enough fuel, so we're going through this one. Hold onto something. It's going to be a shaky trip."

The spaceship lurched forwards.

* * *

Two minutes later, what seemed more like hours and hours, they emerged into a cave barely big enough to house the ship.

"We're never. Ever. Doing this. Again," Rocket coughed, scrambling out from the pilot's chair, then pointed a finger at Loki, "And you. You owe me a big favour."

"I know," he said, running a hand through his disheveled hair, walking down the ramp alongside the two,"All right. I've hid us from Heimdall's sight..."  
"Whodall'?"

"Heimdalls. Guardian of Asgard. But there is no way that no one noticed anything, so the sooner we got away from here, the better."

"I'm Groot."

"What do you mean that there is someone... Aw, for real?"

The woman was small for an Aesir, and plump, most likely a half-blood. She wore an apron over her stained brown clothing and looked at the ship as if she'd seen a Frost Giant reciting a poem.

Then, she started screaming bloody murder, frozen in place.

Loki looked at the raccoon, who lifted his blaster with a sigh and pointed at the still shrieking woman, steadily turning purple from air loss.

Yet, she did have a good set of lungs on her, one was forced to admit that, Loki mused in thought.

"Look, lady we are not here to cause trouble," a little bit of exaggeration, but she didn't need to know that, "So if you'd kindly shut up, back away, go home and not speak a word to anybody? You can do that, can't you?"

The woman nodded, her lips quivering. The first fat teardrops appeared in her eyes.

"Good," he lowered the blaster, then looked at Loki. "What now?"

* * *

Sneaking into the palace was laughably easy when one knew the secret passageways, even if recently to protections must have been fortified. And Loki being Loki knew most, if not all of them.

One way or another, the years of following Thor blindly paid off in the end.

After knocking out three guards, assuming their form and sending Groot to cause some mayhem, the pair set off towards where the All-Father would be - the throne room.

Luck had worked in their favour and they could merge with a group of guards after they had yelled at them, inquiring after "just what the Hel they were thinking" and "where the Hel they've been", calling them names usually stored for green-eared guards.

Whose face they now wore, and who were sleeping soundly under the powers of an enchantment, blissfully unaware of the world.

The prisoner was the ex-captain of the Easter Guards, now a traitor who sold out Asgard's one weakness of the few that existed, and now the Golden Realm was anticipating an attack, with no idea where or when it'll be launched.

"Get him out of my sight," Odin growled, falling back to his throne. The prisoner flashed him a defiant smile before turning on his own accord, and marching out from the throne room with the sentence of an eternity on the Isle of Silence, in an inescapable cell. He waved to the rest of the guards, allowing them to leave as well and they slowly filed out through the side doors.

He frowned when he saw that neither Loki and Rocket didn't move a muscle.

"Is there anything you wish to discuss with me?"

Rocket nodded lifting the blaster.

"As a matter of fact, yes, we do."

"Loki," Odin said, his eyes moving to the Trickster, "Of course. No wonder Heimdall couldn't see the reason of the earthquake."

"You don't seem surprised despite the fact that you thought me dead."

The All-Father shifted his stance.

"Frost Giants are rather hard to kill and are full of surprises. I wasn't as quick to proclaim you deceased as some were."

The edge of Loki's mouth pulled into a thin line.

"Or perhaps you didn't bother to get them know better."

"I sincerely doubt that you've come back here from the void to discuss my knowledge or the lack of it, concerning the Jötnar. Speak, son."

"Yes," Loki agreed, "I have a few questions. Do try to answer them."

"And quickly," Rocket added as the illusion flickered out of existence, "We haven't got all day."

"A rodent will not give orders to..." the captain of the Einherjar started, but Odin lifted his hand, effectively silencing him.

"I'll try to do so."

"Why did you write over my wife's memories?" The king's expression turned sour and he didn't even try to hide it.

"How did you find her?"

"Not on purpose, I'll tell you that much."

"You weren't supposed to find it out," Odin started, "She asked me, begged me even to help her."

Loki arched an eyebrow.  
"Why?"

"Because it was her task to marry you. Marry you, thus infiltrating the royal family. Her kin had been long planning to overthrow us. Originally they planned to give her to Thor, but after the hunting accident it became apparent that you were the one with eyes for her. Naturally, it didn't matter, for all they needed was someone on the inside. What they didn't count with was that she could actually fall in love in you. Alone, she didn't have the power to get away from them, so she came to me. She asked me to get her away and not to tell you anything. She was afraid you'll come to hate her. And so I did."

Loki felt his fist clench, containing his disappointment and anger. However, he didn't let his face betray anything as Odin looked at him.

"Don't tell me you went through with all of this merely to help her."

"No. I did it to protect us and the realm. After I've dealt with them, I cast a spell that erased any signs that they ever set foot in Asgard. You should have forgotten as well, but your peculiar seidr prevented mine from working."

"Some king you are," Rocket growled, "Dividing people who love each other is one of the worst things anyone could do, monarch or not. Especially if he's capable of rewriting thousands of people's memory."

"You don't get to judge my actions."

"Damn right I do!" the animal yelled, waving his blaster, "I grew up hearing about a magical kingdom where everything is good and nice, with a just king, and it turns out to be a great pile of bullshit. You've done what you have done out of spite. Almost all of it was unnecessary. You've chosen to do God knows what to a whole family, exiled the only one remaining from it, your daughter-in-law when you could've simply exiled everyone but her and be done with it," the fur stood up on his neck, "You didn't like that for one moment, not everybody and everything revolved around you. You didn't like that someone would act against your wishes."

Odin opened his mouth, but before he could retort the doors slammed open with a loud bang. Then, in came Groot roaring, two shocked guards in his now extended arms, who were dropped unceremoniously to the floor a moment later.

"I'm Groot!" Rocket frowned.

"Slow done bud, you're blabbering."

"What is the meaning of this?" the king asked, his cold blue eyes fixated on the two before the steps leading to the throne. The older one gulped before he spoke, just as a tremor shook the palace.

"It is as the beast said, my liege. We're under attack."

* * *

**_What Odin said was not the entire truth of the story. As a matter of fact, the organisation was more spread out, but in the heart was Sigyn's family, and they were the founders of that one particular idea. That's why erasing any memories of them were the easier way to go._**

**_And yes, Loki did get strange looks when he inquired after Sigyn, but he knew that neither him nor she was well-liked in the palace, so he thought they were only playing dumb._**

**_Sorry if I left in any mistakes both plot and construction/language wise. Sleepy me is horrible at checking stuff._**


	7. Chapter 7

Odin frowned, and the guard swallowed in fear.

Loki couldn't blame him. The All-father had that effect on the guards.

"How come none noticed it?"

"These ships are unlike any other we've ever dealt with," the man explained, shaking, "Currently ours are engaging them, but their weapons are able to blast through our shields."

Rocket hissed as Groot mumbled something, which grabbed the All-father's attention.

"So you've come across them before?"

"You could say that."

"And how did you defeat them?"

"We didn't," Loki spoke up, "We outrun them. But there is magic in those beams, and if in nothing else, Asgard is better at _that_ than all the other realms."

Odin grunted as he turned to the trembling guard.

"Call the mages and the sorcerers. I want everyone out there."

The man made a hasty bow then scurried off, quickly followed by the king himself, who spared no glance or word for the trio. From the window a great ship could be seen, smaller ones swarming out from it like flies from a carcass.

"That went well," the raccoon commented, releasing a sigh. Loki frowned.

"How could they've gotten here?"

"Who cares? They're not our problem anymore."

"I'm Groot."

"Don't you start that now," Rocket growled, "Don't you dare to get feely-touchy. So what if they did lock onto the ship's signal? It's useless now sitting in that cave, and we have no further business here, right, Loki?"

The Trickster fidgeted with the sleeve of his shirt. The raccoon shook his head, with some desperation to the movement - and who could blame him?

"No, no, no, no, just not that expression, you always do that face when you do something incredibly stupid."

"If we have led them here, we have the responsibility to take care of them."

"Oh, dear magenta elaphont..."

"I'm not asking you to help me. I can't do that," his lips trembled, threatening with a bitter smile, "But they're the peacekeepers in the Nine, even if they like to think too highly of themselves. And the first line of defense, should an attack come from somewhere..."

"And it's here, so we should let them deal with it?"

"And how do you propose to go away? The bridge is still broken, and I highly doubt that the All-father will be in a cooperative mood. I am, after all somewhat of an exile and you _did_ point a blaster at him..."

"Can't you just simply say "I love this planet and don't wanna see it reduced to ashes"? Huh?" Rocket asked, throwing his hands into the air, looking from floral colossus to frost giant. "Fine. But if I die, I'm gonna come back and haunt your immortal asses, got that?"

* * *

Heimdall saw a lot of things.

Crickets on Midgard. Stars forming and dying.

What Odin did when he thought no one was watching.

But he never saw this coming.

"Yo, Gold-eyes!" the small animal yelled from the back of the horse, "Say, how precise can this Bi-thingy be?"

* * *

Loki was certainly getting unused to too much running.

Not that he was troubled by it - not in the least. It meant way less suicide missions with Thor.

It did, however mean, that he did not exactly have an easy time getting to the ship bay, praying that there was one ship remaining at least.

Everything went surprisingly smoothly... At least until something did not crash into his back with the force of a rhino.

"Brother," Thor spat, his eyes sparkling with anger like Mjöllnir in his hand, "Of all people, I could not imagine _you_ bringing war to Asgard, despite all your viles."

"And you're not wrong," Loki answered, massaging his back, "Well, technically. In a very roundabout way you're right now. Please excuse me, but I have a few ships to blow up."

"No."

"I'm sorry?"

"You'll explain everything right now!"

"Certainly, Thor, even you can see that this is neither the place, nor the time to..."

The hammer was raised higher, glowing blue.

"_Speak_."

"So be it," Loki said and made a face, "If you want our destruction, that is. Long or short version?"

"Short will suffice."

"Fell, got saved, travelled the universe, got caught up in some messes like with the kind people attacking Asgard, found my wife, came here asking after said wife, kind people tracked us down and followed here. Happy?"

He kicked the engine and it came alive humming with magic.

"Wife? What wife?"

"It doesn't matter. Now, may I be on my way?"

"No." He wanted to curse the stubborn Aesir's ass into oblivion, but what he said a moment later changed his mind, "I'm coming with you."

"Fine," Loki nodded, then lifted a long finger, "But we're doing this my way. Except if death is all but certain. Then smash everything in your sight."

"And you were going to go without us?" a voice asked, slightly mocking, "How nice of them. What do you think, Volstagg?"

"We can't have that, can we, Hogunn?"

"Indeed."

"I highly doubt that there is space enough for all of you," Loki turned, only mildly annoyed. Fandrall shrugged

"We could always leave you here."

"Oh, yes? And what idea did you come up with? I'm open to any."

"Face it, Loki, we all go, or neither of us does," Lady Sif said, shaking blood off her spear. The Trickster felt like all the world turned against him for the day.

"All right. All right. But don't blame me, if you mess up something."

* * *

"_If you watch one close enough, you'll see that it returns to one of the larger ships every five minutes_," the words echoed in her mind, "_That means they must replenish the energy the smaller ones run on there.._"

For one, she did not trust Loki. And this plan must have been one of the worst ones he had ever came up with.

But, on the other hand, she thought as she detached the spear from her shield, they didn't exactly have another opinion. And so far it did seem to work, as Thor was able to blast through the shield.

"Don't get near their claws," he said as the group split into three to destroy the core of the ship, which possibly might send it orbiting around Asgard or destroy it completely.

"Why?"

"Because by my calculations, you'll have thirty seconds left living."

Destroy the core. Yes. If this thing had a core. If the All-father couldn't do anything so far, that meant no Asgardian have ever came across these species before.

And she? She was supposed to be the distraction.

She cut through the cables leading to a pulsating green monitor and the alarm immediately went off.

"Sorry," she said to the guards rushing in, "Were those important? I had no idea."

Her uru blade cut through the metal which was good, she thought as she spun away from the claws about which she was warned.

The ship's walls were dense, but not too thick.

She could always cut her way out of it and free fall from then on.

Hopefully not to her death. Valhalla can wait.

* * *

"I just don't understand why all of us suddenly listen to him," Fandrall said, "I mean, last we saw him he froze Heimdall solid then unleashed the Bifröst on Jottünheim."

"Perhaps because his is the only plan we have so far?" Volstagg asked, as loud as he could be. Which was very loud.

"Yes. Good point."

"Do you really have to be this loud?" Hogun asked, breaking his silence.

"Hey, I was told to create a distraction, so I will create one. That requires me being more than audible."

"Does it require you leading us into a group of guards as well?"

"No. Why ask?"

"Because you just did."

"So it'd appear. Sorry," Fandrall said, not in the least apologetically as he pulled his sword from its scabbard."But I'm really anxious for the Lady Sif. That always makes me speak loudly. She shouldn't have insisted on going alone."

"If any of us have a chance of getting out, it's her."

"I still can't help but worry," he said, smashing an ugly grey head with the pommel of his weapon. Hogun grunted.

"If you worry, for the time being worry about _us_."

* * *

"Are you sure that it's this way?" Thor asked for the hundredth time. Loki sighed, as he felt his patience running out slowly, but surely, like the mages on the surface of Asgard slowly ran out of energy.

How much easier things had been when he was trying to destroy a realm, not save one.

"No, Thor, still not sure. But we don't really have any other choice, do we? The Bifröst is a one-off and even then we can only hope that the core indeed dislikes a massive beam of pure energy passing through it. Wishful thinking, if you will."

"Sorry."

For a time they continued their walk in sullen silence and heard as an alarm went off - either the Warriors or Sif.

"So what have you been up to?"

It was still amazing how after everything that happened, Thor could hit a chatty voice as if they had not met for only a week. And none were trying to wage war with another planet.

"Not much. You?"

"Nothing."

"You were hunting down the Tesseract I presume." Thor stopped at that, startled.

"How would you..."

"You'd have to be really dull not to feel such a thing. I suspect that even the ones without magic did, though they might have simply written it off as a normal headache or nausea. But this time your humans tampered into something big."

"It's all right now. The Tesseract is safe and removed from Earth."

"Oh?" Loki narrowed his eyes in mock-wonder, "And do those who seek it know that?"

The Thunderer paled visibly. His brother sighed.

"Thor, as great a warrior you are, you can be surprisingly naive. Whatever happened on Midgard that was just the beginning. It was a sign to all would-be-conquerors that your beloved realm is ready for battle. Which, I take, they aren't."

"It's not that," Thor shook his head, "They came quite far in a quite short time. And there is a group. I'd like you to meet them someday, if this plan of yours works. They're surprisingly adequate, and I believe there are more like them. It's that they can't even begin to fathom what sort of creatures travel the universe. They know they're there, but in this matter they're just..."

"Like children," Loki finished. The blonde nodded.

"Indeed. But enough about me. You said nothing."  
"Because there is nothing to tell. Not more than I said back in the Ship Bay." The blonde clicked with his tongue, slightly annoyed.

"Nothing to tell with the god of lies and trickery? That'd be the day to live."

"I fell. I crashed. Got saved. Chased some petty thieves halfway across the galaxy for laughable prices which would have been even more laughable had I not been the one to treat with them," the Trickster repeated what he said in the Bay, slightly exasperated. They had more pressing matters now.

"And why did you come back? You talked about a wife..." Loki went rigid.

"That's not a topic to discuss right here, right now."

"I see," Thor nodded, leaving the younger demigod surprised once more.

This was not the Thor he remembered.

But then, what was?

* * *

It was strange, being with his brother like this. Like the past year did not happen, even though there was every proof that it did.

The feeling was somewhat comforting that even after the Bifröst they can stand near each other without tearing something apart. Though that was exactly what they were planning to accomplish.

Thor stopped in front of a door, frowning, just far enough for it not to open.

There was a faint hum in the air. Energy. They arrived.

"Yes, I feel it too," nodded his brother as he shared this bit of information with him.

"What is your plan?"

"There is something on Midgard called a time-bomb," Loki said as he lifted his palm. On it sat five small spheres. "Crude, I grant you, but the thought itself should work. It's good that I put some together on the voyage here, slightly modified."

Those last words made Thor believe they were more than the -set-the-time-and-run- versions he encountered on Earth. They possibly turned any being in close proximity into stone.

Blue, at least if not stone.

"We must find the weak spots and place these there," he explained as the door opened, "Then perhaps we can... Not expected that."

The Thunderer looked into the room.

"That might pose a few problems."


	8. Chapter 8

"Raiju," the word left Loki's mouth like a curse. Thor gave him a surprised look.

"You know these?"

"Don't tell me you don't. Raijin, and his little monsters?"

"Oh. Him. Jolly fellow. I still don't understand why you disliked him," Thor sighed and ducked as a stray bolt of lightning flew past his ears, "What poses the question is though, how they got them to leave him."

"I don't care," Loki hissed, swatting away a creature, then immediately regretted the decision as he felt elecricity surge through his hand, "It's obvious that they are the primary energy source, hence we must get them away somehow."

"That'll be easy. I'll do it."

"You," Loki said a tiny bit sardonically, though he didn't mean to sound like that.

Perhaps a little.

"I'm great at angering others, remember?" Thor said, swinging Mjöllnir into motion, "And they're good at being angered easily. I'll distract them, you get the shields off, then plant those bombs of yours."

"Wait, we should..."

He was too late - the demigod had already launched himself towards the centre of the room, right into the thick of it with a battlecry. Loki closed his eyes for a moment.

"One of these days, I'm going to have my book, a cup of tea, and silence, and I'll rest... Oh, yes I will," he muttered to himself as he followed his brother, trying to lure away the monsters from the core.

* * *

Hijacking one of these ships was easier than Rocket thought. Like really. They were supposed to be one of the most advanced beings in the universe.

Or it was him who was really intelligent, he thought as he navigated through the battle going on in the air. Groot in front of him roared as he swatted away a bigger piece of spaceship-junk, right into one of their pursuers.

Then he saw the big golden globe move slowly and point the portal-opener thingie at one of the ships, spinning faster with each passing moment. Suddenly a burst of energy surged towards it - and left a big smoking hole in the middle.

"I AM GROOT!" the floral colossus yelled, one fist high in the air. Rocket snickered.

"Yes, I can see it. We did it. He didn't think we could, but we did. Now put your hand down, you're blocking my view."

"I'm Groot?"

"A falling body?" the animal frowned, just a moment before he noticed it as well. Indeed, there it was - falling, female, Asgardian, and judging by her scream, very much alive.

Rocket pulled the handle upwards, and the ship obeyed his command.

The warrior woman arrived into the face of the colossus with a sound of surprise. The sword she was holding in her hand fell and went spiralling down towards the ground.

She looked up and made eye contact with Rocket.

"You didn't hear any of that."

"Of course I didn't."

"Good. I'll kill you if you tell anyone about this." She tried to emphasise her words by pulling a hidden sword from under the floor.

"About what?" he asked, grinning.

"Good. Could you take me back to that ship?"

"Naturally."

"I'm Groot!"

"Great! Three more? Do you people know that you were _not_ cut out for flying?"

* * *

It was not going as easily as he had hoped.

Of course, nothing was.

Firstly, there was the problem of lowering the force field around what was devouring the lightnings.

Secondly.

In the meanwhile they got company. And they were all for not allowing him to finish what he started; not like he had gotten that far in the process.

He pressed down two more buttons and the field wavered, but did not disappear, and then there was a third guard upon him.

He slashed at his face, taking the careless attacker's eyes out.

He really had no time for this.

"How is it going, brother?!" Thor asked as he zoomed past him, followed by a cloud of bugs, a screaming guard held in his hands.

"Not as fast as I'd like." He ducked away from the fourth and kicked him in the place which hurt all who are male, no matter where it was situated.

Others claimed it was unmanly to do so.

He claimed that if it made an enemy unfocused for just a moment, for decapitation, then it was worth it. He'd be more happy to live as a non-gendered jelly floating through space than dining in Valhalla, but pretty much dead.

"Well, then, hurry up! They're getting angrier and angrier with every second."

Loki scowled. That the same was true for him didn't even matter?

"I'm trying to crack a technology completely unknown to us. I'm sorry, if it's not fast enough for your taste!"

"Forgiven," Thor answered nonchalantly, letting go of the man that fall onto the bug closest to the Thunderer. The two went down and landed in the floor, causing a slight tremor, with a great crash and were barely recognisable anymore.

The screen flashed green.

The Trickster glanced aside.

And his opponent, waiting for just this one moment, went in for the attack with his spear-thing which would have pierced him through the lungs, had it not been for the Asgardian battle ship that came through the walls of the spaceship, four of the six on board howling in either terror or extasy.

"Lokes!" Rocket called down from next to the handle. "Been wondering what you were doing. This thing is supposed to be down by now."

"Nearly," Loki said, turning back to the main panel and flicking controllers up and down, "Now if you could keep them off my back and... Don't mind that, I'm done."

He watched with satisfaction the barrier that faded into nonexistence, allowing them free entrance to the core.

It was a surprisingly primitive design, with telltale signs of where it could be easily damaged.

A curious mixture of genius and simple-mindedness.

Thor already began his work, placing the bombs he had at the vulnerable spots as he whooshed back and forth, his companions looking at him with worry.

"Don't just stand gawking there," Loki snapped, "Help me."

It was Sif who reacted first; she held her hand out and waited for him to drop two bombs into it before running towards her target. She reached it without any actually problem, those posed by two panicking guards who thought it'd be a great idea to get between her fist and the other one had an unfortunate run-in with her shield, and he did most of the running.

Which left Loki with one for the panel. They had exactly a minute left to leave the ship.

Rather they would have.

It was as if he was watching a scene from a dream, as a rogue bolt of ligthning passed through the staggering guard who still wore the mark of Sif's knuckles.

He fell, straight into the first bomb, starting a chain reaction.

A moment later he vaguely saw Groot reach for him, but it was too late. The force of air already pushed him outside - luckily through the hole the Asgardian ship left.

The others were not so lucky. He saw Thor gather Sif in his arms, her unconscious, him bleeding. Rocket was holding tight onto Groot, the Warriors Three not too far away from them. Something latched onto him - it was Groot. The Colossus was drawing him towards them, the rest of his body sprouting and growing. It was of no use, he must have known that, good for nothing but slowing down the fall, still ending in the inevitable.

Except if he did something.

He saw the towers of Asgard rush towards them and had possibly one of his craziest idea ever.

Had he the time, he'd have laughed. Trusting Midgardian imagination.

But what could happen? At worst?

The rest of the fall washed into one big picture.

A roar. Flash of explosions. Groot's face prepared and serene.

Then something hit his head and he knew no more.

* * *

"The prince drew his sword, and the dragon reared, preparing to eat him alive," a voice said, that made him feel warm, but the rest was overpowered by a buzz. A voice that reminded him of his childhood. He knew the voice.

His mother was sitting by the side of his bed, in his old chambers which were astonishingly clean, in her hands a heavy tome of tales. She looked up, and smiled.

"Good morning," her voice was still barely audible, "Look who decided to join the living."

"Very funny, Mother," he groaned back. It hurt talking.

"Oh, I should hope so, after all the trouble we went through to keep you together. How many times did I tell you, not to meddle with magic you don't know yet?" Her voice was only slightly worried, he supposed she dealt with the worse already. What was more important and surprising, that was the tone of pride

"What do you mean?"

"The pretty little white stuff of thing that stretches precisely fifty and seventy-eight meters between five houses, and which our best cannot seem to get down. Where did you get the idea from?"

"A... Comic book. From Midgard."

"Really?" she asked, her eyebrows arching, "I shall like to see that comic book of yours. But now, perhaps I should tell your friends that you are awake," she gathered her skirt and stood up. In the doorway however she stopped and looked back at her son, focused on his face. Then smiled, and left.

* * *

The chains rattled around his wrists and ankles when he entered the throne room.

The sound made the hair on his neck stand up.

The burning sensation however, that passed ups his arms every moment he took a step bothered him even more. Rocket told him what happened after he passed out; Mother was not joking. They literally had to hold him together until the magic worked itself into his flesh and knitted what had been parted.

He didn't really want to think about any of it, yet the thoughts always somehow wormed their way in.

The hearing itself was relatively short, but all the more uncomfortable; some of the advisors did not seem to wholly agree with Odin's punishment and gave voice to their opinions. He couldn't exactly blame them - he had a part to play in the destruction of the Bifröst, and this plan could have ended even more disastrously.

Half of it depended on whether or not Rocket can get the Bifröst to harness the energy of the Tesseract with the help of Heimdall (who has yet to get over the fact that Rocket actually could do it). It was nothing more than a gamble.

Which was successful.

So now, his crimes though not erased were overlooked, plus Rocket and Groot got a literally two hundred and twenty years old spaceship that no one used anyway. Yet, it was more than capable holding itself against any other spaceship out in space.

The raccoon sighed in delight as he patted the ship, not caring a bit for the dirty look the Asgardian mechanic gave him.

"It'll be good to be on the move again. I mean, no offense, but this place is just..."

"Not what the rumours made it out to be," Loki nodded. Rocked snickered.

"Well, you put it in a lot nicer way then I'd have, but yeah. All this gold is just too shiny? And your dad? He'd definitely not win the "Best father in the universe" title. should we go first?"

"Yes, about that," the trickster god said hesitantly, "I don't think I'm going."

"What? Oh, crap, man, don't do this to me!"

"It's not like I have a say in this," the black haired man added quickly, "But currently what's keeping me standing are these specifically enchanted clothes. It's forbidden to cast a spell for five months

or to engage in active fighting for a year at least. And as far as I've experienced it, the latter makes up two-third of a bounty hunters life."

"This sucks."

"Don't tell me."

"But your mom won't keep you walled up in here?"

"No. As an agent of Asgard, I'll be the ambassador of the realm on Earth. Those people are learning quickly. Best it not be without guidance."

"Mmm," Rocket nodded, "But keep in touch, you hear me?"

"You'll never have one resting moment, if you'd have it that way."

"In touch, not 'bother me for 24/7'. By the way where is the next planet with something that's not made for killing, like your mead is?"

"You follow the asteroid line until you get halfway to Midgard. There is a moon without planet there. Then, you take the next turn on the right. Vanaheim. Good place."

* * *

His heart thumped hard in his chest as he made his way towards the All-father's personal chambers.

Rocket and Groot left not half an hour ago. The guard found him there, where he was still looking at the point where the ship disappeared, pretending he could still see it.

He could not fathom what sort of further business the King may have with him.

"No need for formalities," Odin waved as he stepped through after given the permission, "I heard your recovery is going well?"

"Yes."

"You must be wondering why I called you here."

Loki didn't answer, though he could have sworn that there was a hint of a smile behind the old man's mask - pitying, malicious or genuine, he could not say.

"It's this," the monarch said, holding up a small white stone, "It contains all the memories of your wife; or rather, it's a copy of them, containing the key."

"You're giving it to me?"

"Of course. They're no use to me, and so are only good for gathering dust. Besides, I don't think it likes me."

"But," Loki looked at the tiny thing, slightly lost, "What should I do with it?"

"Keep it. Throw it away. Give your wife her real life back. It's no concern of mine anymore."

There was a thousand questions on the tip of the once-prince's tongue; but when he looked up, Odin had already returned to his work.

* * *

"So you come from Asgard," the mortal said, his one good eye blazing with suspicion. Loki smiled his best cold smile.

"Indeed."

"Why did they not send Thor?"

"He's needed elsewhere."

"Oh, really."

"It's not really any of your business, Director, but I'm better at negotiations. He's good at scaring bad guys back into their places. And now, there are quite a few planets beside yours that require his attention more."

Fury leaned back, his face betraying his distrust, though he might have thought that it was a perfect poker face.

Loki's smile widened.

Somewhere far away, so did Rocket's as their pray stood in front of them on wobbly legs, helding all four of his arms up, begging them not to let the "crazy sorcerer" at him. And wished that said crazy sorcerer is all right, but not for the worth of a million stars would he have said it out loud. People would think he's getting touchy-feely.

* * *

"Truly astonishing," Frigga said, flipping through the pages of the "manga", unbothered by the exchange between her son and the Director Fury in the mirror that Odin was watching, "I've never thought to use magic like this."  
"Midgardian imagination, Frigga."

"Perhaps it is, but did you ever think about using focused fire sorcery as a canonball? And in this one," she tapped another book belonging into a different series, "A girl uses a well infused with magic to travel into the past. Not impossible, even more so dangerous, but it could be counted as a feat even for you, if you wished to do so in physical form."

Odin sighed, massaging his temples. He could feel a headache coming on.

A break from kingship. A vacation. For a week.

Yes, that would be good. He could leave Frigga reign in his stand, with Thor setting up peace again across the nine realms.

She liked doing his job, anyway.

* * *

**Last-ish chapter? Got caught up in some pretty deep plot holes - sorry about that. Perhaps I'll try to mend those. Perhaps I won't.**

**And indeed, Loki should not experiment with magic from Bleach. Or he shall face the wrath of a mother. It's a scary thing.**


End file.
